Ballon D'Or Power Rankings: Top 10 Contenders For The Golden Ball in 2026 (Ranked)

The dust has hardly settled on the glitz & glamour of the 2025 Ballon d'Or ceremony, where Ousmane Dembele won the football's top individual award, thanks to a season in which he fired PSG to a quadruple, but most importantly, their maiden Champions League crown. But as we all know, football is a sport that never stands still, as something new, extraordinary, or iconic keeps on happening at times, both on, & off the pitch. Hence, it's not surprising that football fanatics around the world have already moved on and shifted their focus to determine who could win the Ballon d'Or next year.

Will it be any of Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo? After all, 2026 is also a World Cup year, and in that showpiece of an event, anything can happen. But, it will make more sense to ponder rationally and place your bets on stars who are making waves across top leagues and in top teams with their on-pitch exploits. Hence, this year once again, we at Sportsdunia have come up with Ballon d'Or power rankings, which could help the readers determine the possible nominees for next year's prize based on ranking factors focused around the current season form in both domestic leagues & UCL.(Goals + Assists or Clean sheets, in case the nominee is a defender) , general or overall form, and last but not least, the performance the players might be showing in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Ballon D'Or 2026 Power Rankings (Top 10 List Based on Current Trends)

We at Sportsdunia have shared a table below showcasing the possible top 10 Ballon d'Or 2026 rankings, based on players' current performance (in Leagues, UCL, WC qualifiers & cup competitions) & to an extent, fan sentiments.

Criteria Behind Ballon d'Or 2026 Power Rankings

We have provided a detailed explanation behind choosing the ranking criteria used for listing the 2026 Ballon d'Or power rankings. These factors evaluate players based on their individual & and team form in the ongoing season, along with their overall form in general over the years. Apart from this, since the 2026 FIFA World Cup is still months away, we haven't mentioned it much in the content at present; But we have considered it as a ranking factor, as the performance of the listed players during this mega showpiece of an event will also influence the outcome for the 2026 Ballon d'Or nominees eventually.

• Goals Scored: Since, for most of the footballing history, the Ballon d'Or has been awarded to the goalscorers, it requires no rocket science while making the no. of goals scored/will be scored in the ongoing season as the primary ranking factor
• Assists: Though the finishers always take the limelight, they couldn't do so without being fed assists from their fellow attackers or midfielders. Hence, no. of assists is the 2nd most important ranking factor.
• Overall Form (Career Stats): Consistency of a particular footballer over the years also plays a role in his nomination in the Ballon d'Or power rankings, as it's a stats-backed proof, justifying his inclusion among the world's best footballers
• Expected Performance in 2026 FIFA World Cup: Although the biggest event in football is a year away, for some players like Harry Kane & Mbappe, performance with their respective national teams will become a major factor in deciding their fate concerning next year's Ballon d'Or.

Note:

• Stats which will be seen throughout this article are taken from reliable sources like Transfermrkt, Sportsdunia & fbref.
• Avg. rating seen in the table above is also taken from the stats-backed platform of Sportsdunia.

Ballon d'Or Power Rankings: Possible Top 10 Contenders Revealed

Now that we have explained how the likely top 10 best players in the Ballon d'Or 2026 ranking are evaluated using our ranking factors, let's explore in detail why these players deserve to be in the top 10 list. Down the line, we will also talk about the potential dark horses or the players who are currently struggling, but are capable of staking a place in the list of top 10 Ballon d'Or 2026 rankings as the season progresses.

10. Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid | La Liga)

After his infamous refusal to attend the 2023-24 Ballon d'Or ceremony, once it was revealed that he is not going to win the award, Brazilian forward Vinicius Junior was made to wait even longer, largely due to Real Madrid having a trophyless 2024/25 season. He finished 16th in the recently held 2025 Ballon d'Or. Hence, it was therefore clear that to increase his chances of winning, his performance must exceed the last couple of seasons in the current campaign. And guess what? He has responded well so far.

In the ongoing 2025-26 season, Vini Jr had already scored 5 goals & created 4 in all competitions. With Los Blancos enjoying a great start to the season under the Spaniard Xabi Alonso, he may very well be the frontrunner in the upcoming 12 months. Impressively, he has also improved the defensive aspects of his game, as according to FBRef, he is making 1.68 tackles per game this season, which is an improvement from 0.84 tackles/90 recorded last season. Hence, based on current performance, Vinicius is one of the contenders in our Ballon d'Or power rankings.

9. Vitinha (PSG | Ligue 1)

If you had asked us before the 2024/25 campaign, only a few of us would have expected to see Portuguese midfielder Vitinha finish 3rd in the official Ballon d'Or rankings. The midfielder, once playing for Premier League side Wolves, proved everyone wrong by delivering an exceptional performance in the middle of the park. Since only 5 midfielders have won this prestigious award in the entire history, it's always a big deal to see a midfielder placed in the top 10 Ballon d'Or 2026 rankings.

His 14 goals & assists in all competitions were instrumental in PSG winning all the domestic trophies, along with the UCL. He was also instrumental in Portugal winning the UEFA Nations League. He has started this season strongly as well, with 4 assists already in 9 appearances across all competitions. One of the most defining traits of Vitinha's game is his ability to relentlessly circulate the ball in the opposition half & create attacking opportunities from it. He ranks among 89 & 87 percentiles, respectively, in terms of shot-creating actions (3.56/90) & progressive carries (2.22/90). All these stats also pretty much justify him being called one of the best midfielders in the world. If he maintains this level of form and consistency throughout the season, it will indeed make sense to see his name among the top 10 Ballon d'Or contenders next year.

8. Raphinha (FC Barcelona | La Liga)

During a memorable 2024/25 season, which ended with Barcelona completing a domestic treble & reaching the Champions League semi-finals, Brazilian sensation Raphinha had a career-best campaign as he scored a whopping 34 goals & provided 26 assists in all competitions. Alongside Lamine Yamal, one of the best wingers in the world, he terrorised the opposition defences with his darting runs, pace, trickery & some degree of samba flair. So, there is not much to explain why he was declared one of the top 5 best players in the world in the recently concluded Ballon d'Or ceremony.

Hence, you can see why we have included him as one of the contenders in the list of Ballon d'Or power rankings, come 2026. Though he has started the 2025/26 season quite well, as his 3 goals & 2 assists in 7 appearances show, he could only be ranked 8th currently. Part of this reason is the current tactical setup by Barcelona manager Hansi Flick. To accommodate Rashford on the left, Raphinha is being deployed across multiple attacking positions, which is a stark contrast to the previous season when he was solely deployed as a left-winger. On top of this, he is also currently sidelined till after the October international break. Although he started this season well, as told above, what position he occupies this season will be one of thenkey determinants in terms of his Ballon d'Or hopes.

7. Pedri (FC Barcelona | La Liga)

Since suffering a few injuries and setbacks after his debut season, Spanish midfielder Pedri has quickly established himself as the undisputed starter in his position. It's crazy indeed that after making over 200 appearances for the Blaugrana, he is only 22 at the moment. Despite establishing himself as the best midfielder in La Liga, he could only finish 11th in the 2025 Ballon d'Or, concluded almost 3 weeks ago.

Though his end product is always questioned, that is not what defines his game. It's his defense-piercing passes, circulating the ball in the middle of the park, along with shot-creating actions (6.87/90) & progressive carries (4.93/90). Just for enlightenment purposes, his shot-creating actions & progressive carries in the ongoing season are 6.87/90 and 4.93/90, respectively. Given that the next year is the World Cup year, Pedri, who is also a key player in the Spanish National team, will get the opportunity to climb up the rankings. Still only 22 years old, it goes without saying that he will be among the Ballon d'Or contenders for years to come.

6. Ousmane Dembélé (PSG | Ligue 1)

After being crowned the 2025 Ballon d'Or winner, PSG star Ousmane Dembele understandably had an emotional moment. Now that we are moving forward, it's natural that Dembele will aim to become the first player, not named Ronaldo or Messi, to win back-to-back Ballon d'Ors. The 28-year-old Frenchman had already started the season well with 4 goal contributions in as many matches, before he got sidelined due to injury sustained while on International duty in September.

To make himself a favorite in retaining the golden ball, delivering a world-class performance for France in the 2026 World Cup is crucial. Should Dembouz once again end up having a strong season with PSG and afterwards, lead the Les Blues to World Cup glory, he will have a strong foothold to retain the most coveted individual football award ever. And likewise, he will also move up in our Ballon d'Or 2026 ranking.

5. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool | Premier League)

A total of 57 goal contributions (34G + 23A) in 52 appearances during the 2024/25 season once again proves why Egyptian king Mohamed Salah is one of the best players in the world. Even though he is in the latter stages of his career & he had to go through a sort of transitional phase under a new manager, he remains the best player in English Premier League.

Over the years, individual performance stats have been the primary ranking factor in deciding who will win the award. And Salah seems to just get better with age, as his consistently impressive numbers since arriving at Merseyside show. He has already cemented his status as one of the greatest Liverpool players of all time. Despite Liverpool's ongoing mini-slump of 3 games without a win, and Salah's not-so-extraordinary start as he only has 6 goal contributions so far, Liverpool are the favourites to retain the EPL & as well as go till the latter stages of the Champions League. Also, with AFCON on the horizon, Salah is certainly a strong contender for the 2026 Ballon d'Or award. Hence, we have placed him at 5th in our Ballon d'Or 2026 rankings.

4. Erling Haaland (Manchester City | Premier League)

With last season being an exception, since Manchester City had a trophyless & injury-hit season, Norwegian goal-machine Erling Haaland has always been among the top entrants in the Ballon d'Or power rankings. Though Haaland had 39 goal contributions last term, it was still a downgrade from the 2023/24 season, when he had 45 goals & assists in all competitions. However, to no one's surprise, he is playing like his usual juggernaut self. On top of that, his Norway national team secured a place in the World Cup finals after years of misses. The highlight of their qualification campaign was his 5 goals in a 11-1 victory over Moldova.

We think it would not be wrong to say that Haaland has the traits of the real-life Viking & robot. The way he ran past Arsenal & Manchester United's defense & scored goals was a statement of intent. Haaland is already showing that last season was just a blip, as this time he is going all-out. With 12 goals already in just 9 games across all competitions, Haaland has been deservedly placed 4th in our Ballon d'Or 2026 power rankings. Provided Manchester City's injury problems stop occurring, & Pep somehow can make his new signings-infused team click, Haaland's chance to win the top-most individual accolade will definitely shoot up.

3. Harry Kane (Bayern Munich | Bundesliga)

One of the best strikers in the world right now, England's record goalscorer Harry Kane amassed 41 goals & 14 assists in all competitions as he finally ended his long wait for a major trophy by winning the 2024/25 Bundesliga. What separates Harry Kane from other strikers is the fact that, just like goals, he can also provide assists in double digits, as we have clearly seen time after time how he stretches the opposition's defense with his link-up play. He has lit up the Bundesliga with his goalscoring exploits since arriving from Tottenham, and after climbing to 4th in the list of best EPL strikers of all time.

He has started the 2025/26 season with a bang already, with 18 goals & 3 assists in just 10 appearances. Out of these 18 goals, 6 have come from hattricks, scored against RB Leipzig & TSG Hoffenheim respectively. We have placed Kane at 3rd in our Ballon d'Or power rankings. But If Bayern maintain this scintillating form, manage to have a deep UCL run, & Kane manages to lead from the front & make England perform better in the 2026 World Cup, his chances of being the 1st Englishman to win Ballon d'Or since Michael Owen in 2001 can't be ruled out.

2. Lamine Yamal (Barcelona | La Liga)

In the rich history of Ballon d'Or, there has never been a teenager to win the accolade. Hence, anticipation is high for teenage sensation Lamine Yamal, who came close to winning it this year. If he continues his mind-boggling upwards trajectory, not only will he be the favourite to win the Golden Ball in 2026, but he will also be vying for the top prize for years to come. But the lingering question is…." Will he win it in 2026?".

Since the age of 15, Yamal has been carrying one of the biggest football clubs in the world on his back. Along with this, he led his country to the 2024 Euros glory at just 16 years old. He himself has said to believe in the phrase, “If you're good enough, you're old enough." He has already broken several records in the game and is one of the best footballers in the world. He has started this season strongly, but injuries so far have ruled him out for the next few weeks. But there is no doubt in his ability that once her returns, he will be back to his goalscoring exploits. If he manages to lead Barca to La Liga & as well as UCL glory, and as well as lead Spain to glory in the World Cup, it will be impossible to ignore him for the 2026 Ballon d'Or.

1. Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid | La Liga)

After an underwhelming season by his lofty standards, French star Kylian Mbappe has already been seen as one of the favourites to win the Ballon d'Or next term. The Los Blancos forward, since his teenage days, has been touted as the future successor to Lionel Messi & Cristiano Ronaldo. Now in his mid-20s, he is one of the best footballers on the planet & has been racking up an insane amount of goals season-on-season.

Undisputedly, the best striker in the world, he has started the current season with a bang by scoring 14 goals in just 10 appearances across all competitions. After winning the European Golden Shoe last term, under Xabi Alonso, he is aiming to achieve better. Real Madrid are currently sitting at the top of the La Liga summit & unlike last year, have started the league phase of the UCL with a 100% record. Apart from leading Los Blancos to glory, if he manages to lead France to another World Cup, Mbappe will get ahead in the race to win the Golden Ball. Hence, he is ranked 1st in our list of Ballon d'Or power rankings.

Ballon d'Or 2026 Rankings: Players who Still Could Make the Cut

Although the above-mentioned top 10 Ballon d'Or 2026 rankings are purely based on ranking factors, we believe that below players could also break it into the top 10 if they continue performing. Among the footballers below, Argentine World Cup Winner Julian Alvarez, recent returnee from a shoulder injury, Jude Bellingham & as well as Colombian winger Luis Diaz are favourites to stake their claim for the top individual honour in football.